Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The apostolic nuncio to Mozambique celebrated the funeral Mass of Bishop Osório Cîtora Afonso, I.M.C., on June 12, six days after he was murdered.

“The Church always supports the development of the country and appreciates projects that bring long-term benefits to society,” said Bishop Joseph Đỗ Quang Khang of Bắc Ninh. “However, development only has meaning when people remain at its center.”

“The concerns of the people are also the concerns of the Church,” Bishop Khang added. “People are losing not only homes and property but also memories, traditions, and faith communities built over many generations.”

The apostolic nuncio to Ukraine lamented a Russian attack on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Monastery of the Caves), an eleventh-century Orthodox monastery recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

“Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises that he will never forget any of us. He assures us that he has engraved our faces on the palms of his hands and that his love is greater than a mother’s love for her child,” Pope Leo began. “The prophet gives us a glimpse of an intimate and intense dialogue in which God addresses, in familiar terms, each person individually and the people as a whole. Even today, we can read these words as referring to each of us, and everyone can hear that ‘I will never forget you’ spoken directly to them.”

The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly takes place each year on the fourth Sunday in July, on or close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. In the United States, the bishops transferred the celebration to the Sunday after Labor Day, to coincide with National Grandparents Day.

On June 15—the day on which the Pope’s message was released—the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life also published pastoral guidelines for the day.

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung had a “warm and affectionate” audience with Pope Leo XIV on June 15, a day after he thanked the Holy See for its “unconditional support and constant attention” to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

Pope Leo XIV emphasized faith, hope, and love in a video message to a climate summit that is taking place today.